Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1887-10-14
Poultry Notes.

the poultry-yard tell us that winter
is approaching, and that the fowls
are about to put on new dress.
The present season, perhaps,
more than any other, shows us
what poultry keepers are made of
whether they belong to the
class who leave the future to take
care Of itself, or whether they may
be ranked amongst the number
who consider that the future must
be taken into account as well as
the present if the business is to
be profitable one. During the
next few months eggs will be get
tiEg scarcer every day until at last,
il there are no pullets Of the year
to take the places of the hens, the
supply will be entirely discontin-
ued. Now, this discouraging state
of things will not be brought
about by the weather, but will be
caused by the moult through
which the adult fowls have to
pass. 1t is easy to understand
that the drain upon the fowls
must be a severe one, especial if
the birds are not carefully attend
ed to. and every additional moult
which the hen has to uniergo is
more trying than it's predecessors,
and thus leaves here more unfit to
re-commence laying. This, there
fore, should be lesson to the
poultry keepers to weed out his
stock while they are still young.
If hens moult late in the autumn
land they moult later every year,
it is very certain that they will
not re-commence laying until the
turn of the year, when eggs are
realizing very low prices indeed.
1t is therefore impossible for their
eggs to pay anything toward the
winters keep, and this means a
clean loss. This first thing, then,
that the poultry keeper should do,
is to 60 through his stock of fowls
and mark off those which it will
be advisable to sell. Ii he keeps
but few hens, say half dozen
or SO, it will pay him best to sell
the lot and lay in the same number
of pullets Matched in March or
April last, If, on the other hand
his present stock is large one, it
will be good plan to retain some
of the pullets of 1886, and clear
out the remainder. The selection
OF. those whose lives are to be spared
will depend upon circumstances.
Ii some of the hens have proved
themselves frst-class layers, or
are good specimens of their breed,
or of a stamp suitable for table
purposes, common sense would
advise US to keep such birds for
breeding purposes. But, if there
is not much to choose between the
whole stock, another plan must be
followed. In this case we would
advise the breeder to keep those
hens which ara likely to moult
early. Such birds, if generously
treated during the season of moult,
will be likely to re-commence
laying before the year is out, and
thus pay handsomely for the at
tention bestowed upon them. The
moulting season will be has tened
by allowing the hens, if of a
sitting variety,ito sit for week or
two on some china eggs. As
soon as the moult begins, feed
well on stimulating food. The
soft food should be peppered and
given warm, and a little meat,
chopped very small, may be mixed
with it. Some hempseed should
also be given for a change. Some
Douglas mixture should be added
to the drinking water-about two
tablespoonfuls of the mixture to a
pint of water being sufficient. The
mixture is prepared by dissolvi Nc
half-a-pound of sulphate of iron
and one ounce of sulphuric acid in
two gallons of water, and is very
useful at such times. If it is con-
sidered unnecessary to prepare so
much at time, the same end will |
be obtained by placing a piece of
sulphate of iron, about the size of |
5wo filberts, and ten drops of
acid into each gallon of
thinking water. The fowls must
De kept warm, especially at night,
md, if possibly, confined in a
covered run during showery
Plenty of green food
must, of course, be supplied.
Attention to these minor details
will go far to help the fowls at
rying season, and any extra outlay
will be well repaid. The remainder
If the stock, which it is intended
o dispose of, should be sold be-
ore moulting begins. Gardening
Evaporated Apples.